Lazy Days of Summer
The days mentioned in the title are drawing to an end and I decided it was time for an update. The title, however, is misleading because our summer was so busy.
Staylee . . . has been working hard, as you might expect. However, sometime during the past year he hurt his back. The pain was only getting worse as time went on and because it was work related we had to deal with the frustration of health care bureaucracy. It has been very frustrating, but after several doctor and ER visits, he has begun physical therapy. It seems to be helping and he is hoping to be placed back on regular duty soon. This week he is starting a new semester at Midland College--taking History and Trig.
Amber . . . June was a pretty big month for me. I finished and successfully defended my thesis. It was a good thing because I had already gotten a job offer to start teaching English at Howard College. The commute is about 45-minutes, but I figure it would be the same as if I lived in a larger city. My office is actually pretty big and everyone is very nice. I may even be doing some consulting with the drama department. My first few classes were a bit nerve wracking, but I think I'll get the hang of it pretty soon. Leaving Midland College was definitely bittersweet--on one hand I was glad to be moving on to something more challenging, on the other I was leaving behind some good friends and one amazing friend. But we have already spent time together, so I think the friendships are going to last.
The only real yuck for me was a car accident my first day at Howard--I was yielding and the woman behind me didn't agree, so she tore the back of my car off. (There's a picture in the summer album.) My parents were kind enough to give me their old car since the insurance money would barely cover a down payment. I was in a neck brace for a few days and it looks like I will need some physical therapy, but I'm just so thankful Lili wasn't with me.
Liliana . . . After the first few teary days, Lili loved baby school. It came to the point that she would drag her rolling bag to the door because she wanted to go. On the last day we almost had to drag her away. In an interesting development, all the boys in her class were crazy about Lili. I dropped her off one day and watched as a little boy came running over to kiss her. By the time I left she was dancing, surrounded by a group of about 6 of them. When I picked her up later, one of the boys actually burst into tears when she left. She just blew him a kiss. I swear, she's such a little flirt--she just flits from boy to boy, like Miss Scarlet at the picnic. We're thinking an All Girl's School might be worth looking in to.
Swimming continues to go well. Lili has good days and bad days, but her teacher is very patient and Lili just loves her. Her swimming has also helped another area we've been working on this summer--her speech.
As some of you know, Lili doesn't really talk. In fact, she has only really said one word consistently (hi). Her teachers expressed concern and referred us to an Early Intervention program, Project Tyke. They came and accessed Lili and decided she needed further testing for speech. At that point they weren't ruling out autism, so we had a few tense days. They tested her for everything, not just speech and were relieved when they told us that it wasn't autism. In fact, Lili scored above average (28 to 30 months) on developmental, cognitive, motor, and other areas. So the speech is the only thing we are working on. We have therapy three times a month. We have added two new words--Kick and Swish. They are both words we sing in Wheels on the Bus at swimming.
Lili loves anything to do with music--drumming, piano, dancing, and singing songs. She also loves dogs. She often goes to Charleigh's kennel and bangs on it because she wants her favorite playmate out. Cora, my mom's dog, is another of her buddies, although Cora gets a lot more baby pats (Lili petting) because she doesn't run away. And, like her mother, she is totally obsessed with shoes--she loves to put on her own shoes, as well as other peoples' shoes. She really is a happy and loving little girl.
Coming Up:
It's a big time for school for us all: Howard started Monday, as did Midland College, and Baby school starts again next week. Lili will be moving up to the next class. We hope she likes her new teachers as much as her old ones.
It's hard to believe Liliana will be two in October!
And our much anticipated family trip to Orlando for our Disneymooner meet.
So that brings us pretty much up-to-date. You can see our summer chronicled in pictures in our Web Album. Thanks for stopping by.
Staylee . . . has been working hard, as you might expect. However, sometime during the past year he hurt his back. The pain was only getting worse as time went on and because it was work related we had to deal with the frustration of health care bureaucracy. It has been very frustrating, but after several doctor and ER visits, he has begun physical therapy. It seems to be helping and he is hoping to be placed back on regular duty soon. This week he is starting a new semester at Midland College--taking History and Trig.
Amber . . . June was a pretty big month for me. I finished and successfully defended my thesis. It was a good thing because I had already gotten a job offer to start teaching English at Howard College. The commute is about 45-minutes, but I figure it would be the same as if I lived in a larger city. My office is actually pretty big and everyone is very nice. I may even be doing some consulting with the drama department. My first few classes were a bit nerve wracking, but I think I'll get the hang of it pretty soon. Leaving Midland College was definitely bittersweet--on one hand I was glad to be moving on to something more challenging, on the other I was leaving behind some good friends and one amazing friend. But we have already spent time together, so I think the friendships are going to last.
The only real yuck for me was a car accident my first day at Howard--I was yielding and the woman behind me didn't agree, so she tore the back of my car off. (There's a picture in the summer album.) My parents were kind enough to give me their old car since the insurance money would barely cover a down payment. I was in a neck brace for a few days and it looks like I will need some physical therapy, but I'm just so thankful Lili wasn't with me.
Liliana . . . After the first few teary days, Lili loved baby school. It came to the point that she would drag her rolling bag to the door because she wanted to go. On the last day we almost had to drag her away. In an interesting development, all the boys in her class were crazy about Lili. I dropped her off one day and watched as a little boy came running over to kiss her. By the time I left she was dancing, surrounded by a group of about 6 of them. When I picked her up later, one of the boys actually burst into tears when she left. She just blew him a kiss. I swear, she's such a little flirt--she just flits from boy to boy, like Miss Scarlet at the picnic. We're thinking an All Girl's School might be worth looking in to.
Swimming continues to go well. Lili has good days and bad days, but her teacher is very patient and Lili just loves her. Her swimming has also helped another area we've been working on this summer--her speech.
As some of you know, Lili doesn't really talk. In fact, she has only really said one word consistently (hi). Her teachers expressed concern and referred us to an Early Intervention program, Project Tyke. They came and accessed Lili and decided she needed further testing for speech. At that point they weren't ruling out autism, so we had a few tense days. They tested her for everything, not just speech and were relieved when they told us that it wasn't autism. In fact, Lili scored above average (28 to 30 months) on developmental, cognitive, motor, and other areas. So the speech is the only thing we are working on. We have therapy three times a month. We have added two new words--Kick and Swish. They are both words we sing in Wheels on the Bus at swimming.
Lili loves anything to do with music--drumming, piano, dancing, and singing songs. She also loves dogs. She often goes to Charleigh's kennel and bangs on it because she wants her favorite playmate out. Cora, my mom's dog, is another of her buddies, although Cora gets a lot more baby pats (Lili petting) because she doesn't run away. And, like her mother, she is totally obsessed with shoes--she loves to put on her own shoes, as well as other peoples' shoes. She really is a happy and loving little girl.
Coming Up:
It's a big time for school for us all: Howard started Monday, as did Midland College, and Baby school starts again next week. Lili will be moving up to the next class. We hope she likes her new teachers as much as her old ones.
It's hard to believe Liliana will be two in October!
And our much anticipated family trip to Orlando for our Disneymooner meet.
So that brings us pretty much up-to-date. You can see our summer chronicled in pictures in our Web Album. Thanks for stopping by.
posted by Amber @ 11:03 AM
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